


Remembrance

by 50_points_for_ravenclaw



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Celebrations, F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 18:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13394121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50_points_for_ravenclaw/pseuds/50_points_for_ravenclaw
Summary: Sometimes Boruto forgets that his father's birthday is also the anniversary for one of the worst wars history has to offer.





	Remembrance

Naruto’s birthday was the one of the few days every year that he took the day off from being Hokage. It wasn’t necessarily of his own volition, but over the years, he’d simply resigned himself to having everyone force him into a village-wide party. Boruto didn’t much care for the day.

His father’s birthday used to be Boruto’s favorite day of the year. Naruto was home, his friends were all there, and he got all the free food he wanted from the vendors around the village. But Boruto had long grown indifferent to the times when his father was actually around. He tried to stay cheerful for Himawari’s sake, even for his mother’s, but he could never quite stop the bitterness that bubbled up within him. The only person who truly seemed to notice this though was Naruto, and if Boruto had to judge it, it didn’t seem much like his father cared how he felt about it all.

The year was just like every year since Boruto had been born. He never really understood why they made such a fuss before Naruto even became Hokage, but it had been this way since he could remember -- colorful streamers lining the streets, crowds of jovial people, citizens and shinobi alike, all laughing and talking as they ambled around the village, firecrackers and posters and flowers and everything else one could think of for a huge celebration. The mood of it all still managed to capture Boruto’s heart, but every time he glanced up ahead, to the kanji spelling out “Hokage” across the back of his father’s white cape, that little bit of good feeling dimmed.

“Satoshi said his dad’s shop is going to be hosting one of the game booths this year,” Himawari explained to her mother as they walked hand-in-hand down the street.

Hinata smiled sweetly down at her. “Then we will have to stop by and play a round or two.”

Himawari cheered, throwing a fist in the air, and Boruto felt that good feeling come back, enough to pull a smile onto his face.

“All this commotion is so troublesome,” Shikadai sighed from Boruto’s side.

He was watching his own father, walking silently next to the Hokage as his trusted advisor and friend.

“It definitely gets old after a while,” Boruto said in agreement.

There came an annoyed huff from his right. Boruto turned to glare at his other companion, a gesture familiar and immediate as he’d been doing it since he was a toddler.

“Do you two even know what respect is?” Sarada said. She pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose, something she always did when she was feeling particularly entitled.

Boruto groaned, dragging his feet and slumping his shoulders in as dramatic a fashion as he could, all the while ignoring the way Sarada’s own glare turned more and more heated. Shikadai yawned, glancing with a small spark of interest at an electronics shop selling the newest handheld as they walked by.

“Saradaaa,” Boruto whined. “You can’t tell me you think this is fun.”

“It’s not supposed to be fun for us,” she snapped. “You are the Hokage’s son, Shikadai is the Hokage’s advisor’s son, and I am the Head of Hospital’s daughter. We are here to be figure heads for the village, and so we should treat our roles and our parents’ roles with respect.”

Boruto groaned again, long and loud. The noise was enough to receive a reprimanding eyebrow raise from his mother, and so he fell silent and crossed his arms to sulk. The action only made Sarada’s expression turn more smug.

“What’s there to respect anyways?” Boruto mumbled to himself, staring intently at Naruto’s back and watching the way the Hokage’s cloak swayed as he strode down the street.

* * *

 

After the walk through the village, everyone was free to do what they liked. Naruto was immediately swarmed by villagers, and Boruto scoffed at the sight before quickly turning and darting away with Shikadai at his side. They eventually found some of the other genin from their class. Even Sarada seemed to have left her mother’s side to spend time with Chocho and Sumire, sitting around a table eating dango together. He thought for a brief moment of going over to them, but decided against voluntarily subjecting himself to more of Sarada’s true but scathing remarks.

The day seemed to pass quickly. Everyone was caught up in the celebration of it all, even Boruto, but mostly he was just enjoying spending time with his friends. After the fireworks show in the evening, though, everyone began to disperse one at a time to find their parents and head home. Boruto knew that he should do the same -- his mom might be worried about him -- but he stayed out a little longer anyway.

He watched as the village slowly packed things away, leaving the mess of half hung streamers and lanterns scattered around the street for tomorrow as they headed inside. By the time Inojin left him, spotting his parents a couple streets over, it was officially nighttime and the village fell quiet, only the lights shining through windows from the houses throughout giving any sign of life.

Sometimes Boruto liked the village best like this. While he wasn’t normally one to enjoy the quiet, this sort of quiet didn’t feel quite as lonely. He was surrounded by people, those he knew and those he didn’t, those he cared about and those he cared for even more. It was hard to feel alone when one could feel the spirit of thousands surrounding them.

Boruto made his way to the stone faces, standing atop that of the fourth Hokage. Slowly, small pricks of light were snuffed out until almost the entire village lay in darkness. It was still a bit early for the village to sleep, but he supposed after a day like today, everyone was tired. He himself was beginning to feel it as well and decided it might be best for him to head home before his mother sent out a search party.

But just as he’d made this decision, he spotted a glow near the forest at the outer edge of the forest. It was dim but large and Boruto couldn’t help but let it grasp his curiosity. So instead of running for his house, he changed directions and leaped across rooftops, heading straight toward the light as it seemed to brighten before his eyes.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see when he got there but it certainly wasn’t a collection of older shinobi carrying paper lanterns. Stopping on the branch of a tree, Boruto watched as they all slowly gathered around a large stone statue. It was a monument Boruto could probably draw in his sleep. He’d spent many days in class at this monument, training in the grass that circled it.

The statue was one of peace and unity, depicting five shinobi about 15 feet tall in a circle. They were dressed in the traditional uniforms of each of the five Great Nations, except for their headbands. Boruto had learned in school that the symbol they all boasted was that of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the great army who had fought against Madara Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, and Kaguya and somehow won. But it wasn’t without great cost.

Before each stone shinobi was a metal plaque that began on the platform at their feet and traveled outwards in the grass. Each plaque listed the name of the shinobi that were lost from their respective villages. Boruto almost hadn’t believed Shino-sensei when he’d told the class this. The lists seemed to go on forever, too many names to ever read. It was the most chilling thing Boruto could remember having seen.

And now he watched as shinobi gathered around, holding lanterns close to their chests and gazing at the monument as if they were waiting. What they were waiting for, Boruto wasn’t sure, until the Hokage himself stepped up to the front to meet the eyes of everyone in the crowd.

“Every year I come up here to make a speech. It never really feels like enough though,” Naruto said with a sad smile, an expression that was mirrored on the faces before him. “This year I decided that there was nothing left to be said. The only thing that we can do is move forward and continue to work toward a peace that will last for generations. So many lives were lost for this purpose, and I refuse to let that be in vain.”

Boruto frowned, swallowing around the lump that appeared in his throat. It was easier to forget the sacrifices made for the life he lived now.

“All that I can do now is offer my respect and utmost gratitude to all those who died and hope that they have found peace.”

Hinata walked up to him, taking his hand in her empty one and giving it a squeeze. They stared at one another for a long moment with such sadness and longing. Boruto hadn’t ever seen his parents quite so desolate. He forced himself not to look away.

“This lantern is for Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki who died to protect Konohagakure and to save the life of their only child, brave until the end.”

Naruto gently placed the lantern at the base of the monument, kneeling before it with his head bowed in blessing before standing and moving to the side. Hinata took a breath and stepped forward.

“This lantern is for Neji Hyuga, a man with unending loyalty and honor who died for the future of Konoha,” she said softly.

Boruto’s chest tightened at the sound of his relatives’ names as he watched his mother place the lantern next to Naruto’s. Knowing he would never be able to meet them brought pain he didn’t know he could feel. He’d thought of them before, when his parents would tell stories, when Kakashi would speak fondly of his mentor, when Tenten and Lee shared moments from their time as Team Guy. These small insights only brought him happiness, thinking of how powerful, kind, and loyal his family had been. Now he could only grieve as his parents did, as the rest of these shinobi did.

“For Shikaku Nara,” said Shikamaru as he stepped up to the platform.

“For Lady Chiyo,” said Sakura as she placed the lantern beside the others.

“For Inoichi Yamanaka,” said Ino as she kneeled.

“For Asuma Sarutobi,” said Choji as he bowed his head.

“For Jiraiya,” said Tsunade as she murmured a blessing.

“For Rin Nohara,” said Kakashi as he stared silently at the glowing light.

“For Torune Aburame,” said Shino as he took his place back in the crowd.

Each of the shinobi there presented a lantern, naming a loved one or friend as they set in line with the ones before it. Boruto watched, eyes wide, and chest aching, pounding more and more as more names were listed. Everyone in the crowd remained calm, but their faces read of sorrow so strong, Boruto didn’t think he could even comprehend it.

Once the last lantern had been placed, the gathered shinobi stood together and bowed. The only sound heard was that of a breeze rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees. Boruto held his breath for fear of interrupting the moment until the shinobi began to disappear, the crowd dwindling until there were only four left.

Boruto watched as his mother and father straightened, eyes set on the flickering, yellow glow of the lanterns against white stone. Sakura and Kakashi waited by the monument for Naruto to join them, and then the three kneeled together.

“For Nagato,” Naruto said.

“For Itachi,” Sakura said.

“For Obito,” Kakashi said.

Boruto felt as if he were invading something private he was never meant to see. Even Hinata tried to make herself smaller, a trait Boruto recognized from pictures of her in her genin days. The original team 7 kneeled much longer than any of the previous shinobi. Boruto wondered what they could be thinking, if they were trying to bless all the other thousands of lives lost or if they were simply too overcome by the overwhelming number to even try.

When they finally stood, Sakura turned to Naruto and rested a hand on his shoulder. She pulled Kakashi closer by the arm, and they all simply stood together for a moment. Boruto saw his father trace the Uchiha crest on the back of Sakura’s shirt, and pondered if they were thinking of Sasuke, too.

Before he could blink, Sakura and Kakashi vanished leaving Hinata to step forward and hold her husband with careful arms. She pressed a kiss to his temple, reaching on her toes to do so, and dropped her arm to take his hand into hers.

“You can come out now, Boruto,” Naruto called.

The words were so sudden and unexpected that Boruto nearly fell out of the tree in his surprise, but instead and he dropped silently to his feet and shuffled over to his parents. His mother watched him with a smile, though sorrow still shown brightly in her eyes. It wasn’t until he turned his gaze to his father that Boruto remembered it was still Naruto’s birthday, the same day that the final battle of the Fourth Shinobi War took place. He clenched the hands he held at his sides into fists.

“The people need a celebration,” Naruto said softly, as if he knew what his son was thinking of. “It’s easier to celebrate something good then to remember something tragic. I know it’s hard for you to understand, but that’s the reason why we fought so hard.”

Boruto’s chest ached once more, strong enough for him to clutch loosely at his shirt above his heart. His mother noticed the action and kneeled before him, placing a gentle hand over his in comfort. Her eyes seemed glazed, and once Boruto realized it was from unshed tears, he buried his face in her shoulder to avoid seeing them spill. It wasn’t a sight he ever wanted to bear witness to.

After a long moment, Boruto pulled away and turned to the memorial. He hesitated and then stepped away completely from his mother. Before he could talk himself out of it, he walked an even pace up to the base of the statue, right where his mother and father had placed their lanterns and kneeled. Bowing his head, he spoke a short blessing to his lost relatives, reaching a hand out to brush their lanterns once he was done.

When he stood and turned around, embarrassment already painting his cheeks pink, he found his parents watching him with expressions so full of love and heartbreak, his eyes began to burn. He crossed his arms and cleared his throat in an attempt to appear less affected by it all, but his mother simply laughed, a small, breathy sound, and pulled him into her arms again. It wasn’t until he felt his father’s arms as well that the tears won out and slipped down his cheeks.

His father was right. He didn’t quite understand what his parents had gone through, the pain they’d had to endure, the loss they were still recovering from, but seeing them hurt in this way made him hurt just as much. He thought maybe that it was almost the same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I realized I made it seem sort of like I don't like Sarada but this is just how I think Boruto sees her. I enjoy her character a lot.
> 
> 2\. Sorry, y'all. I was having a lot of emotions. (I'm totally not rewatching the war arc or anything.)
> 
> Come visit me at my tumblr, [50-points-for-ravenclaw](http://50-points-for-ravenclaw.tumblr.com/), where I am slowly falling into Naruto/anime madness.


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